Hunting the Musky
The muskellunge is the definition of an apex predator and one of the fiercest freshwater fish you can tangle with. They have captivated anglers for decades, including Pete Maina, a noted muskie and pike expert, and multi-species guide Josh Teigen, who each fish for them every chance they get. There are many ways to catch these big, toothy fish, and they bite year-round, but both anglers believe the fall bite is where it’s at.
The cooling weather gets them active, and your chance at the biggest fish of the season is right now with the right approach. Maina and Teigen both like to fish quickly this time of year, and each shared tips on finding the biggest muskies and targeting them effectively.
Teigen’s Shallow Approach
As fall arrives, cooler weather in the northern states has all fish on alert and ready to feed. That’s the case for Teigen around his Wisconsin home, and it’s good news for muskie anglers.
“Once the water is finally starting to cool down, a lot of those big muskies that were out in the open water during the summer will start to slide up shallow,” he said. “On clear lakes, you’ll find them on weed edges in 10 to 15 feet of water, and on the stained lakes, they’ll get into 2 to 5 feet of water because that’s where the panfish are. They are mainly feeding on perch, bluegill, and sometimes suckers.” Read more
Straddling the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds and encompassing a wide range of forests, habitats, trails, rivers, lakes and trout streams, the Great Lakes Basin project is a truly exceptional part of Michigan.
